Bécc Bairrche mac Blathmaic

Bécc Bairrche mac Blathmaic(died 718) ["Annals of Ulster", AU 718.2; "Annals of Tigernach", AT 718.2] was king of Ulaid from 692-707 from the Dal Fiatach clan. He was the son of Blathmac mac Máel Cobha (died 670), a previous king. [Byrne, Table 6; Charles-Edwards, appendix XXI; Mac Niocaill, pg.155] His byname Bairrche refers to the region of the Mourne Mountains in south County Down. Bynames like his can refer to a region or to fosterage and there may be a connection to the Uí Bairrche of Leinster in his byname. [Ó Cróinín pg.194]

The Dal Fiatach had dominated the kingship of Ulster from 637-674. Family strife was a common theme among the dynasty at this time. The grandfather of Bécc, Máel Cobo mac Fiachnai had been slain by his nephew, Congal Cennfhatar mac Dúnchada in 647. [AU 647.1; AT 648.1; Mac Niocaill, pg.100] In 674 Congal, now King of Ulaid, was himself slain by Bécc who thereby acquired the rule of the Dal Fiatach. [AU 674.1; AT 674.1; Mac Niocaill, pg.101]

He, however, did not acquire the Ulaid throne till after the death of Fergus mac Áedáin of the rival Uí Echach Cobo branch of the Dal nAraide in 692 who may have been a compromise candidate. [Mac Niocaill, pg.101]

The high king Fínsnechta Fledach of the Síl nÁedo Sláine may have been married to the daughter of Congal named Conchenn and may have had some personal antagonism towards Bécc. The offensive was struck by Bécc who penetrated into southern Ui Neill territory only to be defeated by the high king at Tailltin in 679. [AU 679.3; AT 679.3; Mac Niocaill, pg.108]

Bécc was also married to Conchenn ingen Congaile probably after the death of Fínsnechta in oreder to bolster his position in Ulaid. He also married Barrdub, daughter of Lethlobar mac Echach (died 709) of the Dal nAraide. [Mac Niocaill, pg.115]

He acquired the throne of Ulaid in 692 and as ruler of such was one of the guarantors of the Cáin Adomnáin(Law of Adomnán) at Birr in 697.

In 691 the Dál Riata despoiled the Cruithin (Dal nAraide) and the Ulaid (Dal Fiatach). [AU 691.3; Mac Niocaill, pg.114] British marauders were active around the turn of the 8th century. In 697 The Ulaids and the Britons laid waste to Mag Muirtheimne in County Louth, home of a border tribe of Ulidia known as the Conaille Muirtheimne. [AU 697.10; AT 697.6] In 703 the Britons and Ulaid were at war with each other and the Battle of Mag Cuilind was fought in the Ards penninsula. The british enemy, the son of Radgann (known for despoiling churches) was slain. [AU 703.1; AT 703.1; Mac Niocaill, pg.114]

He abdicated and took up the pilgrim's staff in 707 and died in 718. [AU 707.6; Mac Niocaill, pg.115]

His son by Conchenn ingen Congaile, Áed Róin (died 735) was also a King of Ulaid.

Notes

References

* "Annals of Ulster" at [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
* "Annals of Tigernach" at [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]
* Byrne, Francis John (2001), "Irish Kings and High-Kings", Dublin: Four Courts Press, ISBN 978-1-85182-196-9
* Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000), "Early Christian Ireland", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-36395-0
* Gearoid Mac Niocaill (1972), "Ireland before the Vikings", Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
* Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (2005), "A New History of Ireland", Volume One, Oxford: Oxford University Press

External links

* [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [http://www.ucc.ie/ University College Cork]